04/28/2022
Lynn Murphy Mark
The power of prayer
The day before yesterday I wrote about Jan’s health scare, her lengthy hospital stay, and an unanticipated brief stint on a ventilator with transfer to ICU. Since I posted that blog, messages and calls have poured in. There are over 60 comments on the post, most of which mention prayers being sent our way. Phone calls are the same – concern for both of us, and prayers for Jan’s recovery. My prayer chaplain group at church has prayed for her. A friend in Florida sent her prayer to Unity Village.
Unity Village has a prayer service going on 24/7/365. The prayer that Sandra sent will be honored by the pray-ers at Unity Village for the next 30 days. Imagine the energy that comes forth from that place of holy intentions. It is also possible to call the Village and pray with one of the people who give their time in this endeavor. Any prayer request is honored.
All of this positive energy is working. Jan is still in ICU, but maybe not for long. She is getting up in a chair for a couple of hours at a time, and physical therapists work with her on her mobility. After 13 days in the hospital, Jan is weak, but willing to move. The last couple of years have been hard on Jan’s overall health, so she has a bit of a mountain to climb to get back to her “old” self. Recovery will take as long as it takes. Suffice it to say that she has begun to overcome a huge health challenge and is ready to move on.
Back to prayers. I don’t know how they work, I just know that they do. There is some kind of spiritual energy stream that carries the words and requests into the ether. I like the word, ether. It has two meanings. It is a colorless, highly volatile, flammable liquid that was formerly used as an inhaled anesthetic. But, it also means, “the upper regions of space, the clear sky, the heavens.”. Into this mysterious region go the intentions. How they are transformed into measurable results is unclear to me. In my lifetime I’ve seen the manifestations of faith and hope take place in countless ways. I don’t doubt the power of longing for a different outcome, putting it into words, and sending it forth.
Prayer has a double effect. It benefits both the sender and the recipient. The sender goes into a spiritual space, one that is different for each person, and gives word to their concern, their joy, their gratitude, their request. This act is good for the soul. The recipient is the beneficiary of someone’s love and concern. Somehow that psychic energy transfers between souls and opens the channel of mutual caring. Perhaps physicists and philosophers can define the energy of prayer in very certain terms. I am still searching for all the ways to explain how this happens!
My gratitude goes out to all. Your prayers are working!